red squirrels scratching and itching - greys just appeared

[JackWard 0]

hi

 

in a bit of woodland in our area where i visit regularly i have watched red squirrels almost every time i have been there, 16 at one point, i have watched them for about 4 year. until about a month ago i saw my first grey in there, and there have been numerous sightings and today, 6 . The reds have become less and less, in fact i hardly see any. I saw one red today scratching and itching constantly, all over, it looked underweight and mangy looking, my dad also saw another doing the same. They were by no means just itching, but scratching heavily.

 

Has anyone else encountered a red doing this, it looked slightly distressed, and they seem to have dissapeared with the arrival of these greys.

[fellpack 7]

im afraid the reds days are numbered :thumbdown:get the live catch out mate

Edited June 19, 2010 by fellpack

[Rolfe 2]

The greys carry parapoxvirus that kills red squirrels this MAY be the cause of the reds decline in your area. The virus is a highly infectious viral disease with a high mortality rate (99%) in red squirrels. In contrast, the grey squirrels carry the poxvirus antibodies with low or no associated mortality. It is a nasty disease which looks similar to myxomatosis in rabbits

 

Rolfe

[mushroom 13,186]

rolfie would grey culling cancel the spread of the disease once the greys have brought it into the eco-system???

[chimp 299]

i have never seen a red squirrel only greys round here in cambridgeshire and when i travel i dont exactly go out of my way to look for them .

 

one day

[Rolfe 2]

rolfie would grey culling cancel the spread of the disease once the greys have brought it into the eco-system???

 

Culling greys would go a long way to cancelling the spread of the disease for sure (% of the greys tested in one area were found to be carrying the disease), but halting it altogether is another matter. The problem is, once the virus gets amongst the reds it rapidly spreads throughout that particular area. In the Cumbria area, the rate of expansion of grey squirrels over the last decade is 100km2 per year. The decline of the red squirrel is about 70- km2 per year. There is about a 3 year time lag between grey squirrels arriving in an area and the poxvirus occurring in red squirrels.

[mushroom 13,186]

rolfie would grey culling cancel the spread of the disease once the greys have brought it into the eco-system???

 

Culling greys would go a long way to cancelling the spread of the disease for sure (% of the greys tested in one area were found to be carrying the disease), but halting it altogether is another matter. The problem is, once the virus gets amongst the reds it rapidly spreads throughout that particular area. In the Cumbria area, the rate of expansion of grey squirrels over the last decade is 100km2 per year. The decline of the red squirrel is about 70- km2 per year. There is about a 3 year time lag between grey squirrels arriving in an area and the poxvirus occurring in red squirrels.

 

So the tw@t of it is even if you eradicated the greys it dosen't matter as they have already transported the virus and once it has a foothold will spread through the reds without the greys?????

 

 

BUMMER Was hoping that the virus was only passed between grey and red, not red to red

[The one 8,493]

I think there fooked i trapped 11 grey's in area the size of my living room at work a week later there where six more sitting under the bird feeder they must bred like rabbits and rats what chance does or native wildlife have ?

[peeps_76 17]

i have never seen a red squirrel only greys round here in cambridgeshire and when i travel i dont exactly go out of my way to look for them .

 

it the other way round for me! i have to travel miles and miles to see a grey. its a red haven up here!

 

regards P

[unclemicky 3]

Thats a shame , looks like the greys are on a steady march northwards ,

[unclemicky 3]

Jack , also meant to say I,ve been to Egremont a few time on my Suzuki to the Iron ore rally , Nice place

[spidey 0]

I read somewhere that grey to red viral takeover was more likely than red to red. Which means if you can annihilate the greys you have seen, the reds have a chance. Also, if the current ones do die out in your area, if the territory is free, more will appear in time. Just get rid of those greys!

 

If you have a gun (and time) use it, if not...live traps.

 

Best of luck!

[trappa 518]

You can actually make a ddifference mate. If you have reds then protect them as best you can. Get the live traps and the gun out. Good luck!

[byron 1,188]

hi

 

in a bit of woodland in our area where i visit regularly i have watched red squirrels almost every time i have been there, 16 at one point, i have watched them for about 4 year. until about a month ago i saw my first grey in there, and there have been numerous sightings and today, 6 . The reds have become less and less, in fact i hardly see any. I saw one red today scratching and itching constantly, all over, it looked underweight and mangy looking, my dad also saw another doing the same. They were by no means just itching, but scratching heavily.

 

Has anyone else encountered a red doing this, it looked slightly distressed, and they seem to have dissapeared with the arrival of these greys.

just seen this post,, and best to report this to the people in the no..local wildlife trust..

[Ideation 8,216]

KIll them all on site.